Our Team
Mirosław Masojć
Project leader
He is an Associate Professor at Non-European Department at the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Wrocław, Poland. He obtained Ph.D. in Archaeology at the University of Wroclaw. He is the author of several dozen scientific articles and several books on the Archeology of the Stone Age and Bronze Age of Africa, Europe, and Asia. He has been carrying out several International Projects in Sudan (2016-19, EDAR project; 2022 – present, ESAR project) Mongolia, and Vietnam (2019 – Hoabinhian Complex in Northern Vietnam).
His principal research interests lie in studying Pleistocene and early Holocene hunter-gatherers in Europe and northeastern Africa and flint knapping in the Late Bronze Age.
Byambaa Gunchinsuren
Project co-leader
He is the Head of the Stone Age Division at the Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Science. He has been a Co-director of several international projects on the Paleolithic in Mongolia conducted by MAS in cooperation with other Institutions from, among others Russia, USA, Japan, Korea, etc. His research focuses on the lithic production methods, chronology and dating of Middle and Upper Paleolithic sites, but also adaptation strategies of Pleistocene communities from Central Asia, especially Mongolia territory. Author and co-author of more than 150 articles and 22 books.
Józef Szykulski
He is the Head of the Non-European Department at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Wroclaw. Since 1994, he is an Honorary Professor at Universidad Católica de Santa Maria (Arequipa, Peru). He has been carrying out research in the New World territory (Mexico, Colombia, Peru Ecuador, Bolivia) for more than 40 years. Since 2016 he has been participating in a research project conducted in Southern Mongolia. He has been the PI of several international research projects in Colombia and Peru, among others Tambo, Sama-Majes, Atico, and Cabuyo. In 1994-2001 on behalf of DAAD, he was a visiting lecturer at Universities in Arequipa (Peru) and Bogota (Colombia). Since 2022, he has been leading an interdisciplinary research project in southern Peru, funded by the National Science Center (2021/41/B/HS3/03115).
Antoni Wójcik
He is Professor at the Polish Geological Institute (Cracov, Poland). He received his Ph.D. at Polish Geological Institute, and in 2012 obtained the title of Professor in Geology. Author of 115 scientific articles and 2 books. He has been conducting research and geological survey in Mongolia for more than 40 years. He was awarded several awards, including Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta – 2021, Gold Cross of Merit – 2014, and Golden Badge of PGI – 2001. Meritorious for Geodesy and Cartography – 2012; Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta – 2022.
His research focuses on sediments from the Eemian and Kromer interglacials in southern Poland and new sites with boulder clays in the Carpathians, but also an examination of landslides and determination of ways to protect them in the event of catastrophic events.
One of his major achievements in research on the geology of Mongolia was documented discovery of new tillite sites in Mongolia older than 800 million years.
Rafał Sikora
PhD in Earth Sciences, Institute of Geological Sciences of the University of Wrocław. Main specialist at the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute. He specializes in structural geology, tectonics, geological cartography and geohazards. Author of several dozen publications, scientific reports, maps and conference abstracts and presentations on geology of Poland, Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mongolia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. He has been conducting research in the Sudetes, the Carpathians and their adjacent areas.
He participated in the prospection conducted by Polish-Mongolian team of deposits exploration in the Khasagt Mountains (2011-2015). His research focuses on the Proterozoic-Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the south-western edge of the Zavkhan terrane.
Socially, he is involved in the popularization of earth sciences and geological education. Vice-President of the Polish Geological Society (2007–2017 Chairman of the Upper Silesian Branch, 2018–2021 the Cracow Branch, from 2018 Chairman of the Section of Structural Research and Geohazards).
Organizer and co-organized national and international scientific conferences. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was the initiator of the online National Scientific Meetings of PTGeol.
Laureate, among others The Golden Hammer Award (University of Wrocław, 2003) and the Award of the Minister of the Environment for special scientific and research achievements in the field of protection, shaping and use of the environment and its resources for the development of The St. Anne’s Mountain Geopark – the documentation and suggestions on its protection (2011).
Awarded the Bronze Cross of Merit (2021) and the Honorary Badge Meritorious for Polish Geology (2021) for activities for science. Apart from geology, he is mainly interested in history of geological science and Europe.
Andrzej Gałaś
From 2020 is an Professor Assistant at the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences (Krakow).
In 1995-2020 an employee of the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection on AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow: lecturer and scientist. Specialist in the field of environmental impact assessment and management of mineral resources. Author or co-author of over 100 scientific publications and about 40 expert opinions on the impact of industry on the environment. He carried out various types of works in geological exploration (prospection of a gold-bearing plot, searching for permafrost beyond the Arctic Circle, archaeological research etc.) in Poland, Sweden, Slovakia, Mongolia, Sudan and Peru.
The second his scientific discipline is volcanology. Since 2003 it has been studying recently active volcanoes around Colca Canyon (southern Peru). The creator and vice leader of the Polish Scientific Expedition of Peru, which was established in 2006.
In 1997-2001 he was the president of the Academic Section of the Mountaineering Club SAKWA. He was a leader of sports expeditions to the Tien-Shan Mountains (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan), Andes (Ecuador), Alps (Switzerland) and the Tatra Mountains (Poland).
Daavakhu Odsuren
He is an Associate Professor at Mongolian State University of Education, and a fellow researcher at the Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences. He has been conducting fieldwork on international expeditions in Mongolia since 2004, mostly working with Russian, American, Japanese and Canadian research teams. His primary area of training is stone tool studies. Moreover, He is the leading expert in the Mongolian Neolithic period, surveying and excavating many old and recently discovered sites. The lithic production technology and understanding Neolithic habitation patterns of southern and eastern Mongolia, are his main field of expertise.
Bazargur Dashzeveg
He is a Senior Researcher at the Stone Age Division of the Institute of Archeology, Mongolian Academy of Science. Moreover, he is involved in a several projects investigating Middle and Upper Paleolithic sites in the northern and northeastern Mongolia. He studied the Egiin Gol sites and, together with the Korean Paleolithic expedition, the Rashaan Khad site. Dr. Bazargur completed a long-term fellowship in Seoul just before defending his doctoral dissertation, which included new interpretations of Upper Paleolithic sites in northern Mongolia. Since 2018, he has been a leading researcher in the Mongolian-Russian-American investigations of Middle and Upper Paleolithic occupations in the Orkhon Valley (Khangai Mountains) and the Gobi Altai region. He has also done intensive work in a rescue archaeology, including later prehistoric periods. His research interests include hominin migrations and dispersals in eastern Central Asia, interactions among populations in the Altai Mountains, Mongolia and North China in the Pleistocene, but also lithic industries, stone raw material procurement and sedimentology.
Grzegorz Michalec
He is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wroclaw, Poland.
His research focuses on the lithic technology and lifestyle of Pleistocene hunter-gatherer groups. He specializes in technological studies, experimental knapping, statistical analysis, and microscopic use-wear analysis. Currently working on a thesis about technological behaviours in Late Acheulean complex of Northeastern Africa.
He participated in few projects on palaeolithic of the Old World conducted in Africa and Asia, among others: EDAR, Bayuda Desert and ESARP Projects (Sudan), Egypt, Polish-Vietnamese archaeological project on Hoabinhian in Northern Vietnam, and Mongolia.
In 2022 he carried out project at KU Leuven (CARL Lab), financed from NAWA Bekker Programme.
Enhktaivan Namjiilma
He is a lecturer at the department of Fine Arts and Technology of the Mongolian National University of Education (MNUE), Ulaanbaatar. He received MA in graphic design and obtained a Doctor of Fine Arts at MNUE.
His research focuses on the technology of production, symbolism, and designs of wooden cases from Mongolia.
Marcin Szmit
He is the head of the Digitalization and Archiving Department of Gdańsk Archaeological Museum, Poland. He has 20 years of experience in archaeological fieldwork in Sudan and Mongolia. He is the main technician and surveyor of the TSARP.
Marta Osypińska
Hab. doctor and Associate Professor at the Department of Non-European Archeology, Institute of Archeology, University of Wroclaw. She graduated and obtained Ph.D. at the University of Warsaw. Student of prof. A. Lasota-Moskalewska. She heads the Zooarchaeological Laboratory at the Institute of Archeology of the University of Wrocław.
Author of several books and dozens of articles on the zooarchaeology and history of human-animal relations in Africa and Europe. She managed as PI several international projects in Sudan (PalaeoAffad Project 2012-15 and 2016-22), Egypt (ZooBerenike Project 2017-2021 and since 2022-in progress) and Tanzania. As an specialist-zooarchaeologist, she participated in several international archaeological projects carried out in Sudan, Egypt, Chad, Vietnam and Mongolia.
Since the beginning of her scientific work, she has been pursuing two research directions in parallel. The main one is the history of human-animal relations in the cultures and civilizations of NE and E Africa. The second one is the study of the economic role of animals in the prehistory and history of Central Europe.
Patryk Muntowski
Professional archaeologist with 17 years’ worth of experience in archaeology (commercial and science / heritage sector). Specialist in the field of architectural archaeology, monument and conservation issues of historical architecture, urban archeology and modern surveying techniques in archaeology.
Conducted archaeological research at numerous sites, among others in Gdansk (early-mediaeval, mediaeval and early-modern) and world-class monuments such as Teutonic Knights Castle in Malbork, Poland (UNESCO) and Castle in Chęciny. Participant of the Project of the National Science Centre Poland in Sudan (Prehistoric communities of the Bayuda Desert in Sudan) implemented by Institute of Archaeology of the University of Wroclaw, Archaeological Museum in Gdansk with participation: Pomeranian Medical University, Laboratory of Paleoecology Archaeobotany University of Gdansk and Heritage Protection Fund.
Author and co-author of numerous scientific publications and excavations reports. Participation in many scientific conferences including Computer Applications & Quantitatiive Methods in Archaeology (CAA) conference in 2012, 2014, 2016, International Congress for Nubian Studies 2022 and many others. Member of European Association of Archaeologists (EAA).
Przemysław Bobrowski
From the beginning of his professional career, he has been associated with the Poznań Branch of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Currently, he is the head of the Team for research the prehistory and early civilizations of Africa and the Middle East. Participant of many research expeditions in Europe, Africa and Asia.
He directed and coordinated research projects (Ministry of Science and Higher Education, National Science Center and sponsoring projects) in one of the largest rock art galleries in the Bir Nurayet area in the Red Sea Mountains (Sudan) and in Bargat El-Shab in the Western Desert of Egypt
JHis research focuses on prehistory and, above all, the economic foundations and spiritual culture of epipaleolithic hunter-gatherer, pastoral and early agricultural communities inhabiting the areas of today’s deserts and semi-deserts of Northeast Africa and Central Asia at the end of the Pleistocene and in the early/middle Holocene. Of special interest are issues regarding the exploitation processes and processing technology of raw materials, issues regarding rock art and the idea of Megalithism
The second area of research interest is the issue of obtaining stone raw materials and flint processing in the Late Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic of the Central European Lowlands. He is the author and co-author of over 100 publications on these issues.
Maciej Jórdeczka
Assistant professor at the Institute of Archeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He obtained his PhD in African archaeology at the IAE PAS. He is the author and co-author of several dozen scientific articles and books on Stone Age archaeology in Africa and Poland. He participated in many research projects and international expeditions in Sudan and Egypt. He also worked for missions investigating rock art, predynastic and dynastic Egypt, and Meroitic Sudan.
He led research financed by the National Science Center at the multicultural site of Khor Shambat in Sudan.
His main research interests focus on the study of hunter-gatherer and early agricultural societies in northeastern Africa, as well as on petroarchaeology and the use of stone by prehistoric societies. He is also professionally involved in photography and graphic documentation in archaeology.
